


Accept The Impossible

by SatiricalDraperies



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Femslash, Inception Bingo, Mal Cobb Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:54:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25477243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SatiricalDraperies/pseuds/SatiricalDraperies
Summary: If she doesn’t like Ariadne, not yet anyways, she at least respects her. That doesn’t mean she has to tell Ariadne, though.
Relationships: Ariadne/Mal Cobb
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9
Collections: Inception Trope/Kink Bingo 2020





	Accept The Impossible

**Author's Note:**

> I started this probably over a year ago and never got around to finishing it until now so don't mind the stylistic switch! Ah, the good old days, when I knew how to write things besides dialogue :D

Maybe this new architect really does know what she’s doing, despite all of Mal’s efforts to believe the contrary. No one can be that naturally gifted at architecture. It takes years to train a mind to be so detail-oriented, and at the same time so willing to accept the impossible. There’s no way that this Ariadne can create worlds just like _that_ , with layers upon layers of history and realism. Mal can imagine herself getting lost in Ariadne’s dream worlds with how real they feel. It would be impressive, if Mal could just put aside her ego for a moment and admit it. But this is Mal we’re talking about, and she’d rather hate Ariadne than acknowledge her skill.

That doesn’t stop the others from marveling at her. Arthur calls her brilliant. Dom says she’s a quick learner. Eames says she really is just naturally gifted, like she was born in a dream. Mal thinks that she _is_ a dream, too perfect to be real and inevitably forgettable. Maybe one day she’ll blink and Ariadne will be gone completely, just a whisper of a name and an idea of an architect, forever lost to her subconscious mind. Maybe one day she’ll wake up and everyone else will have forgotten about Ariadne. Only Mal will remember this tiny girl and her immense mind.

See, the thing about Mal is that she really wouldn’t mind if this did come to pass. If no one else remembers Ariadne, then she entirely belongs to Mal, and Mal will never have to share her with anyone. The possibility of having Ariadne all to herself is one that Mal holds near to her heart. She’d never admit it, but if she doesn’t like Ariadne, not yet anyways, she at least respects her. 

That doesn’t mean she has to tell Ariadne, though. It’s hard enough for her to come up with a comment that is suitably disinterested, but that still gets her true feelings across.

“Look at that,” she says, lips puckered but eyes warm. “Baby’s first paradox.”

Ariadne’s cheeks are the same bright red as her cardigan, and Mal has to resist the urge to reach out and touch them. She settles, instead, for placing her hand on Ariadne’s shoulder.

* * *

“Architecture is easy,” Ariadne says to Eames one day. “It’s the people that cause issues.”

“How so, darling?” He’s looking at her in that perpetually amused way of his, and she tries to hide her growing blush. She’s been trying for weeks to figure out Mal’s problem without asking directly, but at this rate she might as well ask the French woman herself. 

“Mal,” she says. “What’s her deal?”

“She has been rather forward, hasn’t she?”

“She practically _snarls_ every time I enter the room!” Ariadne complains. “I know it’s always rough when a new person joins a team. I really respect her; I just wish I knew why we aren’t working well together.”

Eames considers her. 

“Mal doesn’t hate you,” he says at last. 

“How do you know?”

“If she hated you, you’d be off the team completely. The fact that she trusts you enough to continue as an architect? It means a lot. Mal doesn’t like giving up control, especially not while dreaming.”

“You’re saying she… what? Likes me?”

“I’m not saying she doesn’t,” Eames crosses his arms and leans back. “Give her a chance.”

* * *

The chance doesn’t come for several months. They’ve been hired by some rich bastard named Saito to perform inception on some other rich bastard. (“How does he even know what inception is?” Arthur asks. “He’s a rich bastard,” Yusuf replies. “Rich bastards know everything.”) It’s a tough job made even worse by Mal and Ariadne being paired up on the second level infiltrating a hotel together.

Ariadne looks splendid, as usual. Mal’s always had a bit of a thing for women in suits. The gray blazer emphasizes her shoulders and the tailored pants cling to her hips in all the right places. 

Mal reaches out and undoes the top three buttons of Ariadne’s purple dress shirt underneath.

“There,” she says, looking down at her handiwork. “Now you don’t look so terribly uptight.”

Ariadne blushes pink. It’s a good color on her.

“Wait,” she says, her blush fading and her eyes growing wide and worried. “There’s someone watching us.”

“Shall we put on a show?” Mal’s trying to play it cool but on the inside she’s just as stressed as Ariadne. They can’t be detected by the mark’s internal security without putting the whole operation at risk.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Ariadne says, tilting her head up to look at Mal. “Kiss me.”

“What?” It’s not often that Mal is at a loss for words. She’s been wanting nothing more than to kiss the frighteningly competent architect since they shared their first dream and she saw the look of pure wonder on Ariadne’s face at the limitless possibilities. 

This _must_ be a dream.

“Fine, I’ll do it myself,” Ariadne huffs and then her hands are on Mal’s face and her lips are on Mal’s lips and even though this most certainly is a dream, it feels oh so wonderfully real.


End file.
